1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to firearms, and in particular, it relates to actuator devices for actuating the trigger of a firearm.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
There has been a growing appreciation of the use of firearms as a sport and in recreation. In the case of a rifle that includes a trigger mechanism that fires a round and then is automatically reset to fire a subsequent round, the movement of the user's finger in actuating the trigger is not a fluid movement. The user must pull back on the trigger and then release the trigger and pull back once again to fire the subsequent round. This movement is not efficient and at times can even disturb the aim of the user. If the movement were more fluid, a more accurate and rapid discharge of the firearm could be achieved. However, due to governmental firearm restrictions on fully automatic weapons, the trigger must be actuated separately for the discharge of each round.
In the Reid U.S. Pat. No. 1,909,425 a trigger mechanism is described in which the parts are arranged so that there is no appreciable change in pressure of the trigger against the trigger finger at the instant the lock mechanism is released for firing. The trigger mechanism includes an auxiliary trigger pivotally mounted in a position forward of the actual trigger and has a trigger-actuating pin member positioned on the backside of the auxiliary trigger. The trigger-actuating pin member on the auxiliary trigger engages a lug or roller on a forward upper portion of the main trigger. When the auxiliary trigger is pulled back, the trigger-actuating pin member engages the lug or roller pushing back the main trigger and discharging the firearm. Although the auxiliary trigger descreses the pressure needed to pull back the main trigger, the same inefficient motion to pull back the main trigger to fire each round is used.
The Marhefka et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,413 describes a mechanism for actuating the trigger of a firearm while wearing heavy mittens, gloves and similar articles of handwear. The mechanism includes a bar having the contour of the trigger guard that is hinged to the lower end of a clip slide assembly which is attached to the trigger guard for free sliding along thereof. The bar is pivoted to the rear whereupon the wearer squeezes the bar, using the trigger guard as a fulcrum and causing a rearward force upon the trigger to fire the weapon. The mechanism of the Marhefka et al Patent, however, does not provide an efficient motion to increase the discharge rate of the firearm.
The Beretta U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,763 describes a mechanism for converting a rifle from semi-automatic to automatic firing. However, the mechanism described in the Beretta Patent is incorporated with the components of the semi-automatic rifle and the user must still pull back on the trigger. In addition, it appears that the mechanism of the Beretta Patent also violates government restrictions on automatic weapons since the trigger is only actuated once to discharge all the rounds.
The Colley U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,227 describes a trigger conversion device for rifles which permits the discharge of the rifle when the user is wearing heavy mittens or other types of winter handgear which would prohibit engagement of the individual's finger with the trigger of the rifle. The device includes a plate which is screwed into the stock of the rifle rearwardly of the trigger housing. A pivotal member is pivotally attached to the plate and extends forwardly. The pivotal member has a yoke with arms that extend on either side of the trigger guard. The arms have ends that extend forward of the trigger. A triangular trigger-engaging block includes a base that conforms to the curvature of the trigger. The block is pivotally attached to a forward end of the arms of the yoke by a pin. The user pulls in an upwardly direction on the pivotal member and the trigger-engaging block pulls back on the trigger. To discharge a subsequent round, the pivotal member must be released for the trigger to move forwardly with the user subsequently pulling up on the pivotal member.